Fifth annual river cleanup event planned for September

Event sponsor Premier Mushrooms Inc. set the date for the annual river cleanup on September 17, at the State Park in Colusa the event collects hundreds of pounds of debris and refuse from the shores of the Sacramento River.

“For the past four years, community volunteers and Premier Mushrooms Inc. employees have joined to clean Colusa’s green belt running along the Sacramento River,” said Premier’s Sustainability coordinator Kevin Foley.

Each year, on the third Saturday in September, community members join together to take part in the State’s largest volunteer event, California’s Coastal Cleanup Day. In 2012, over 65,000 volunteers removed about 770,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from California’s beaches, lakes, and waterways.

The Colusa event has grown each year in both volunteer numbers as well as debris poundage collected.

Foley commented that it is very rewarding to see the volunteerism and growth of the program here in Colusa.

“The first year, only about 20 volunteers collected 70 pounds of debris,” he said. “In the second year, there were 30 volunteers collecting 700 pounds of waste and in year three, the numbers jumped dramatically to include 50 volunteers collecting 1,600 pounds.”

In past years, the volunteers have hauled away items like washing machine shells, tires, household items, clothing, and other items as well as typical paper, metal, and tin can debris.

Last year’s annual event coordinated by Foley proved to be one of the best to date.

“The goal is to find less and less garbage each year – which is what we’ve been seeing,” said Foley, “This means there is less dumping taking place, and the impact we’re making is a lasting positive impact.”

Folley added, “The community effort was developed as a result of Premier Mushroom’s desire to align its sustainability goals with those of the local community. Given Colusa’s proximity to the Sacramento River, it was decided that this would be where we’d focus our efforts. The state recreation area also has a rich riparian forest that is home to a variety of fish, birds, mammals and other wildlife. It was the perfect intersection of community, environment, and business.”

The Colusa project was initially created as a local effort, but then the group learned that it coincided with California’s statewide clean-up. After a quick phone call to the coastal commission, Colusa officially became the 55th of 58 counties to participate in the statewide event.

“Therefore, the Colusa clean-up would henceforth be part of a much larger volunteer effort taking place all around the globe,” said Foley.

At the conclusion of the clean-up, volunteers will be hosted to a barbecue lunch. During the meal, winners of the competitions will be announced and prizes awarded.

For more information contact Kevin Foley @ kfoley@premiermushrooms.com. Groups and individuals planning to attend are asked to provide an approximate number of participants by emailing Foley at the above email or Kathy Craigo at kcraigo66@hotmail.com.

Lloyd Green Jr. is the Owner and Publisher of the Williams Pioneer Review. He is dedicated in publishing the news and informing the community of Colusa County. Lloyd has been with the publication since 2008, and purchased the business in 2010. Under his ownership the newspaper has grown significantly in subscriptions, publishes weekly, and obtained the title of Newspaper of General Circulation by the Superior Court of Colusa County in Sept. 2007. Lloyd is also the director of advertising, classified manager, legal notice clerk, and circulation manager.
To contact Lloyd, email him at lloyd@colusacountynews.net or call (530) 458-4141 ext. 100.

Since 2008, the Williams Pioneer Review has become Colusa Counties solid choice for community news and event information. Currently, a weekly newspaper, the Williams Pioneer Review is published on Wednesday and reaching over 7,500 readers in print and 78,000 readers online each month. Local and independently owned.
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